On the Court: LHS Tennis Keeps on Winning

For the first time in 21 years the Lancer tennis team finished first at the Newark Academy Invitational.

Livingston (24-0) which drew the top seed for the event, downed Newark Academy, 4-1, in the final on Sunday in Livingston.

First-doubles tandem, Jesse Bloom and Matt Wolff, and second doubles duo, Kevin Sun and Spencer Luster, provided the first two points of the match and Varun Dyapa delivered the clincher at third singles for Livingston, which won the 38-year-old event for the first time since 1980.

Livingston trailed at all five positions at one point in the second set, before turning things around at four spots. Thomas Caputo followed Dyapa with a three-set victory at first singles. Surprisingly, previously unbeaten second-singles player Brandon Goldstein lost to red-hot Andre Rivera, 6-4, 7-6 (9-7).

LHS took out Millburn, 4-1, in the semifinals earlier in the day. On Saturday, Livingston downed Pingry, 5-0, in the first round.

The Lancers, considered among the favorites to win the Tournament of Champion, will start its run to the North Jersey, Section 1, Group 4 crown.

The Lancers received the top seed in the section and have a bye through Thursday's first round. It will open the Tournament on Tuesday with the winner of the match between eighth-seeded Clifton and ninth-seeded Fair Lawn. Livingston won the section in 2010 and bowed to eventual Tournament of Champions winner, Westfield, 4-1 in the Group 4 semifinals.